DBTHDCAR Chapter 96

Inside the small shop, a woman sprang forward like a leopard, flipping the little tabletop as she barreled toward the counter. Without a word, she launched a violent assault on Xiao Mei, who was talking with Fan Xia, pulling, yanking, and cursing in a torrent of unclean language.

Xiao Mei wore a maroon corduroy cloak over a matching long, fleece-lined qipao. Now the cloak had been torn to the floor, the front of her qipao ripped open, and even the baroque pearl necklace around her neck had been yanked down, scattering its irregularly shaped, green- and purple-glinting beads across the floor with a clatter.

Fan Xia stood frozen, dumbstruck, unable to react. Before he could, the woman had dragged Xiao Mei out of the shop and under the tree outside.

Xiao Lei, the college student helping in the shop, quickly shoved Fan Xia aside and ran to the house to call for help, then rushed toward the scuffle to grab the woman.

But the woman seemed supernaturally strong, as if she had swallowed a power pill, pulling Xiao Mei while kicking Xiao Lei, the three of them rolling under the tree in a chaotic heap.

“You vile witch, you fox spirit! You’re nothing but a seductive demon, born to tempt men into ruin!”

The woman shouted. Wearing pants, she flipped Xiao Mei onto her back, then straddled her stomach, swinging open-handed slaps in every direction. The commotion quickly drew the attention of passing neighbors.

It was rush hour, and many people had just come in from the neighborhood gates. They didn’t bother going home first, curiosity got the better of them, and soon a crowd had gathered outside the small shop, roughly ten or so people.

Everyone recognized Xiao Mei and knew she had just recently gotten married.

The excitement of the new marriage hadn’t faded yet, the big red [Double happiness] character was still on the glass windows of Mr. Zhou’s house, but now suddenly someone was coming to catch a scandal?

That woman was fierce, too. In just a short while, Xiao Mei’s face had swollen to the size of a steamed bun from Gaozhuang, no longer looking like the fresh, well-groomed salon owner she usually was.

Ning Xiaobei and Fan Xia rushed out of the shop together. Seeing the scene, Fan Xia didn’t even need Ning Xiaobei to instruct him, he went straight for the woman’s shoulders.

“Who are you? Let go! Let go!”

Being a future police officer, Fan Xia had some skill. Xiao Lei had struggled just now to approach the woman, but Fan Xia twisted her shoulders, and with a few turns, her brute strength was neutralized.

He was careful not to hurt her. After pulling her off Xiao Mei, he gently pushed her aside, sending her sprawling under the camphor tree.

“Ah! He hit me! He hit me!”

The woman fell flat, rolling on the ground once, then shakily used the camphor tree to pull herself upright.

She had wanted to roll more, but the cacti and agave plants Grandma Ning had planted were covered in spines.

The round cactus wasn’t so bad, but the tall cacti had steel-like spines thicker than quilting needles. She had already been pricked once, and looking down, she realized the garden was basically a weapons cache, so she hurriedly stood up.

Standing under the tree, most of her figure was obscured by dense shadows, and the streetlight didn’t illuminate her clearly.

Even with a rough glance, Ning Xiaobei couldn’t recognize her. Her accent didn’t sound Shanghainese; it seemed she came from the north. Her clothing also didn’t suggest a big-city style, how could Mr. Zhou have a woman from the countryside?

Ning Xiaobei and Fan Xia couldn’t approach yet. Shockingly, the woman started repeatedly banging her head against the tree, screaming, “I won’t live anymore! I won’t live… the fox spirit stole my man, what’s the point of living?”

“Could it really be Mr. Zhou’s wife? Did Mr. Zhou have a wife before Junjun’s mother? And now the first wife has come to attack the third wife?”

Neighbors started whispering among themselves. She looked roughly the same age as Mr. Zhou, so their imaginations ran wild.

As everyone knew, Mr. Zhou’s original wife, Junjun’s mother, had died after a long illness, despite his devoted care.

Especially during the years when Junjun’s mother was bedridden, Junjun was in middle school. Mr. Zhou had to act as both father and mother, manage work to support the family, care for his wife, and tutor his daughter. It was years of hardship under a bitter life, enduring what the saying eating bitter under the yellow lotus tree describes.

Unfortunately, Junjun’s mother didn’t live to see her daughter enter university; she passed away when Junjun was in the first year of high school.

Even so, Mr. Zhou’s reputation in the neighborhood remained impeccable. Everyone spoke highly of him; no one had a bad word to say.

You know the saying: “Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, each flies their own way,” and also, “Even the most dutiful children grow weary at a long-suffering parent’s bedside.” No matter how good a marriage is, when one partner falls ill, even if they don’t divorce, it’s usually the woman taking care of the man, while the man’s care for the woman is often minimal.

Mr. Zhou had taken care of his wife for so many years, and when she passed, she left this world clean, dignified, and at peace. He also raised his daughter to adulthood, helping her get into university. By any standard, he could easily be voted one of Shanghai’s perfect men.

So when Mr. Zhou married Xiao Mei, who was much younger than him, no neighbors gossiped. Everyone trusted his character completely. His marriage to Xiao Mei wasn’t about her looks or money, they were drawn to each other’s integrity.

But what about this woman now?

“What wife? Mr. Zhou has only ever had two wives, no other women.”

“Even if there were, you wouldn’t know, couldn’t she be a mistress?”

“Are you crazy? Look at her, she’s older than Mr. Zhou! How could she be a mistress? If anyone’s a mistress, it would be Xiao Mei… Wait, no—Xiao Mei is the legitimate wife. Argh! This is all messed up. What the hell is going on? Where’s Mr. Zhou? Someone call him over!”

The neighbors whispered and speculated, and the crowd grew larger, a noisy, cawing mass. The woman seemed like a performer who had just stepped onto stage, seeing the audience cheering, she wailed even louder.

“Oh, heartless man! Heartless man! Fox spirit! Poor me, all alone in Shanghai searching for family, and this is what happens! No justice! No justice!”

Her dramatic flair could rival Xiao Mei’s sister-in-law, but they came from different regions, north versus south. If they ever went head-to-head, who would win was anyone’s guess.

“Xiao Mei, Xiaobei, what’s going on?”

Hearing the commotion ahead, Grandma Ning hobbled out with her cane, supported by her cousin’s grandson from Suzhou. Behind her followed the cousin’s granddaughter-in-law and the two little girls, all wide-eyed, completely unprepared for such a scene in Shanghai.

“Xiao Mei, who did this to you?”

Seeing Xiao Mei’s battered state, Grandma Ning’s anger flared.

She wanted to rush forward, but Ning Xiaobei quickly stopped her. Grandma Ning wasn’t as robust as she used to be. Back in the day, she could storm through Jiande Lane with the police, but now her frail body could really be at risk. Any sudden shock could cause a serious accident.

Fan Xia helped Xiao Mei sit down inside the shop, while the university student Xiao Lei stood at the door, keeping the crowd at bay. The woman outside kept trying to push in, but Xiao Lei held her back firmly.

“There’s nothing to see here. Go home. Everyone, go home. Hey, you, don’t come in, who said you could?”

Xiao Lei spread his arms, blocking the woman like a mother hen protecting her chicks, holding her firmly in place.

Before long, Mr. Zhou came running, panting heavily. A neighbor must have gone to alert him.

“What’s going on? What on earth happened?”

This time, he was genuinely anxious. Even his signature typhoon-proof hair, usually immovable, was disheveled. Clusters of strands fell across his forehead like the bangs of children in classical Chinese playful child paintings.

He reached the shop entrance, first staring at the woman’s back, frozen for a moment, then tiptoed forward to peek inside.

“Xiao Lei, it’s me, Old Zhou. What happened? I heard Xiao Mei got beaten? Who did this?”

From Xiao Lei’s side, Mr. Zhou could see Xiao Mei’s qipao torn, her freshly styled Yun Zhe Yue¹A traditional modern Chinese style, translates to “Cloud Covers the Moon,” a formal, elegant hairdo often worn for events hairstyle ruined, and her delicate face bruised in a rainbow of colors. His heart ached seeing her like that.

“She did!”

The neighbors all pointed at the woman in unison.

The woman turned, hands on her hips, scanning Mr. Zhou from top to bottom, bottom to top. Her brows furrowed and she pursed her lips, sneering, “Who are you?”

“You? You’re asking me who I am? Then who are you? Who even knows you? How dare you hit my wife?”

Mr. Zhou trembled with anger. A mild-mannered man who had spent his life in an office, the heaviest thing he had lifted might have been a foot basin for his late wife back in the day.

And now, his new wife, a beauty in her prime, was beaten by a woman he didn’t even know. He couldn’t even curse; he felt utterly helpless and deeply wronged.

“She’s from your family?”

The woman furrowed her brow, sensing something off.

“Are you Ning Jianguo?”

She hesitated. “Wow… that’s a huge change. I remember you being tall before. But after all these years in Shanghai, you’re shorter, your nose has flattened, your eyes are smaller… you’ve just gotten uglier.”

“You…you… not only beat my wife, now you insult me? You really, truly…”

Mr. Zhou clutched his chest, and after a long pause, finally blurted, “What a shrew!”

“What’s going on? This person isn’t here for Mr. Zhou, she’s looking for Grandma Ning’s son!”

“Ah? Could it be that Xiao Mei and Jianguo have something going on?”

The neighbors grew even more excited.

Hearing that this mess might involve his father, Ning Xiaobei immediately let go of Grandma Ning’s arm and dashed toward the woman to confront her.

Fan Xia, worried that Ning Xiaobei would get hurt, quickly stepped in front of him and shouted at the woman, “Who exactly are you? What do you think you’re doing here? If you don’t explain yourself, I’m calling the police right now!”

The woman, who hadn’t really looked closely before, finally took in the tall young man who had just attacked her. Her eyes flicked, a barely-there smile curved her lips, and then plop she sat down on the ground. Flailing her arms like a wailing child, she started crying and howling loudly.

“Ah, this is so unfair! People will laugh themselves silly when they hear this! Where in the world is there any sense in this? A son hitting his mother! Really, the heavens must strike him with thunder! Heavens above, smite this unfilial, disobedient brat right now! Five lightning bolts from heaven, oh my!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Are you out of your mind?!”

Now not just Mr. Zhou, but even Fan Xia clenched his fists in anger.

“Who’s your son? My mom is in Alaska, United States, with her new Spanish boyfriend, listening to Celine Dion, okay? Who do you think you are, claiming to be my mom? Look at yourself! Look at yourself!”

His mother could roll in the mud three hundred times over and still not have the prestige this woman imagined. She had captivated thousands of men, collected boyfriends more systematically than Xiaobei collected stamps. She’s a world-renowned little puppy killer, Lady Huang.

This woman was completely unhinged! A fugitive from No. 600 Wanping South Road.

First, she attacked Xiao Mei, then verbally abused Mr. Zhou, and now she was even dragging Fan Xia into it. Forget calling 110; they needed the mental health center with an ambulance.

“Who exactly are you, running wild at my doorstep?”

Grandma Ning had reached her limit. In her whole life, no one had ever been so arrogant in front of her. Pushing through the crowd, she approached the woman, gritted her teeth, and demanded,

“You… you are Grandma Ning? Ning Jianguo’s mother?”

The woman, having mistakenly identified three people earlier, felt a little guilty. She didn’t answer directly but instead asked back.

“Yes, that’s me.”

Grandma Ning squinted and nodded.

Ning Xiaobei and Fan Xia flanked her, ready to protect her in case the woman suddenly tried something.

Unexpectedly, the woman did jump, but not at Grandma Ning. Instead, she lunged and grabbed hold of her leg.

It was cold today, and Grandma Ning was wearing a pair of handmade embroidered cotton shoes from Shanghai’s old Little Garden brand, each with a bat stitched on the slanted top. Her pants were black wool long trousers, sewn by Xiao Mei herself on the sewing machine. She had only worn them for a week, and Grandma Ning cherished them.

And now, to make matters worse, the woman smeared all the dirt, dust, tears, and snot from her face and hair onto Grandma Ning’s shoes and pant legs.

“Grandma! Finally, I found you! Oh, it hasn’t been easy, I’ve been searching for more than half a month!”

The woman clutched at Grandma Ning’s pant leg and let out a wailing cry.

This time, it was real crying; none of the fake, theatrical sobbing from before.

“Mother, I am your daughter-in-law!”

………………

Author’s Note:

No. 600 Wanping South Road, the eternal spiritual home of Shanghainese, the Mental Health Center!

This woman is not Xiaobei’s mother who appeared earlier, don’t get it wrong.

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  A traditional modern Chinese style, translates to “Cloud Covers the Moon,” a formal, elegant hairdo often worn for events